Quick question: What does # mean to you?
Answer: It has many meanings in Math, Programming, Blogs, and even Music. Most of us know it as a pound sign or associated with phone numbers. Either way the # has taken Digital Marketing by storm.
So What The Hashtag is up with #’s? They are used across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and many other social media platforms, but many businesses and people don’t understand or get them.
Think of them as a way to target specific main ideas or concepts. When most of us learned to write paragraphs, we were taught to write MAIN IDEAS and SUPPORTING DETAILS. Hashtags help identify keywords that can be searched or found easily. Businesses use hashtags for customer service, promotions, and even targeted marketing:
Customer Service Example: In the realtime world we live in, a business can address customer service complaints or thank patrons for promoting their business in a positive way.
Promotions Example: Businesses have been very creative using hashtags to get new and existing customers involved with their business. They have used them for games, contests, and helping to name products.
Targeted Marketing Example: Imagine being able to narrow down your customer online and marketing solely to them. New and existing customers use hashtags that businesses can monitor and respond to. A great example is for the food industry. Someone might hashtag, “#Hungry in Chicago for #pizza.” If a pizza business is monitoring #hungry or #pizza they could suggest their pizza.
3 Tips For Businesses Starting out with #Hashtags
- Use hashtags to promote your business and make it easily searchable.
- Search hashtags before you begin using it to brand your business.
- Hashtags are meant to help target your audience and interact with them.
About Tom Harness
Looking forward top your talk at SIProfessionals!